Central downs Mountaineers for 56-20 win

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier
R-S Central's Matt Atchley (20) pushes towards the end zone for a Hilltopper touchdown against Kings Mountain early in the third Friday during the homecoming game at The Palace.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier
R-S Central's Desmond Whitesides (23) brings down the Kings Mountain runner for the stop Friday during the football action at Central.

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It was all rushing all night for R-S Central on homecoming as they racked up 428 yards of offense without throwing a single pass in a 56-20 drubbing of Kings Mountain Friday night in Rutherfordton.

“On the first series we had some miscues, but from then on out we brought it pretty good,” R-S Central head coach Mike Cheek said.

This was Central’s second win a row after downing Chase last week.

“This has been big for our confidence,” Cheek said. “Each week throughout the season we got better and now the wins are starting to come together.”

Quaterback Jay’len Hollis didn’t have to throw a pass for the Hilltoppers, but he did score two rushing

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touchdowns. However, running back Matt Atchley was the star of the night with 171 yards rushing on 16 carries and three touchdowns.

“Our quarterback just kept making good reads on the ball ... it just kept opening up for me,” Atchley said.

Senior running back Desmond Whitesides added 85 yards and two touchdowns of his own in the win.

“This is any coaches dream,” Cheek said of his stable of runners. “The more of our kids that touch the ball, the better our team becomes.”

Kings Mountain (2-7, 0-6 SMAC) quarterback Brandon Bell returned to the lineup after missing three games with injury, but threw four interceptions on the night, the first on the opening drive of the night when Nate Murray hauled in a bell pass deep down the far sideline.

After trading punts, the Hilltoppers (3-4, 2-3 SMAC) started their dominance on the ground.

Atchley scored his first touchdown of the night on a 7-yard run and Jay’len Hollis put Central up 14-0 with a 1-yard sneak with 1:40 left in the half.

The Mountaineers got on the board early in the second quarter but Hollis restored the 14-point advantage with a highlight reel 20-yard scramble that ended in the Kings Mountain end zone.

The Hilltoppers forced another Kings Mountain punt on the ensuing drive and Atchley took the kick down to the Kings Mountain 15. Two plays later, Atchley finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. The PAT put Central up 28-7.

The Hilltoppers finished the half with 236 yards on the ground, 99 of which belonged to Atchley.

The Hilltoppers blew the game open in the third quarter with Whitesides two touchdowns and a 38-yard score from Atchley. The running clock was on from there.

Kings Mountain made a slight comeback effort in the fourth quarter with two rushing scores from Jair McCluney, but a 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Kaleb Hines with 40 seconds left on the clock sealed the deal for the Hilltoppers.

R-S Central hits the road next week to battle East Burke.

“We’re just taking it one step at a time right now,” Cheek said. “Tonight is big for us and the whole fan section ... we had some tough breaks early in the season and now the breaks our going our way.”

“We’ve been on the wrong side of [homecoming games] so to be on the winning side feels great,” Atchley said. “We’re just going to enjoy it and come back ready to work Monday.”